Relief after 'gay panic' thrown out in Qld

Gay rights campaigners have welcomed Queensland's move to abolish the so-called "gay panic" defence to murder but say they don't know why it took so long.

The partial defence to murder had allowed defendants to argue for a reduction to manslaughter by claiming an unwanted homosexual advance provoked violence.

The push to repeal the defence was spearheaded by Maryborough priest Father Paul Kelly after the fatal 2008 bashing of Wayne Ruks in his church yard, after which the killers raised the defence at trial.

Father Kelly said he was relieved Queensland had finally ditched the "archaic" legal provision but was surprised it took so long.

"So many people said this was a no-brainer and that it was clearly an archaic law, so I did feel the resistance to it was an ideological one," he told AAP.

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said the defence wasn't specifically in the criminal code but had built up over time in common law through judges rulings.

"Equality before the law is a fundamental principle of human rights and the amendment ... will ensure that this provision operates equally for all members of our community," Mrs D'Ath said.